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Former Yorkville High School Runner up for Athlete of the Year Honors

Pat Austin, a former track and cross country star for Yorkville High School, is one of the finalists for Chicago Athlete Magazine's Athlete of the Year honor.

For as long as he can remember, Pat Austin has loved sports. And he’s always loved running most of all.

While a student at Yorkville High School, Austin excelled at both cross country and track. When he moved on to Elmhurst College, Austin kept running, competing on the college’s track and cross country squads.

But in Austin’s senior year of college, it all stopped.

His father had passed away after an unexpected heart attack. Austin, for the first time he can remember, didn’t want to run.

“I was emotionally exhausted,” Austin said. “I needed time to regroup. I couldn’t compete. I needed to revamp, to focus on school. I needed to work through it.”

Austin has since done that. He returned to Elmhurst College this year as a fifth-year senior. He rejoined his cross country and track teams. And he’s run in marathons across the suburbs on his own time.

Last summer, Austin competed in and won the North Shore Half Marathon in Highland Park. He also excelled for the Elmhurst cross country team. Austin performed so well in his return to running that Chicago Athlete Magazine named him its Athlete of the Month for July.

And now Austin -- along with the magazine’s other athletes of the month – is up for the magazine’s Athlete of the Year award.

“After taking the time off, I really put myself out there. I put in some high mileage months. I really surprised myself,” Austin said. “Being named Athlete of the Month showed me that if you put in the hard work, you can accomplish so much more than you think you can.”

No surprises

Chris Muth, head cross country coach at Yorkville High School, said he’s not surprised at Austin’s success. Muth coached Austin during the runner’s senior year at Yorkville. He saw firsthand just how driven Austin could be when he had a goal in sight.

“Pat was our best runner,” Muth said. “We were a very young program at that time. Pat stepped up. He set the bar high for our future runners. He just ran and learned every time he went out on the course.”

Austin also worked hard. And that, Muth says, is what separated him from his competitors.

“He’s a great kid,” Muth said. “He’s just a tremendous competitor. He’ll do anything you ask. And then he’ll do 10 times more than that.”

It’s not unusual for Austin to run marathons on his treadmill, Muth said, just to prove to himself that he can do it.

“If Pat has a good workout, he’ll challenge himself to have an even better one next time,” Muth said. “He always wants to beat what he’s done. He’s never satisfied.”

Austin gives much of the credit for his success to his father, Greg Austin. It was his father who inspired Austin’s work ethic.

“My father was the hardest-working person I have ever met in my life,” Austin said. “I learned so many values from him. Those values have carried over from sports and into my everyday life.”

Chicago Athlete Magazine will announce its male and female 2010 athletes of the year in its February issue.

But whether or not Austin nabs this honor, don’t expect this former Yorkville High School student to take any more time off from running. Austin has rediscovered his passion for the sport, and doesn’t plan on walking away again any time soon.

“I will continue competing,” Austin said. “I’m going to run until I can’t run anymore.”

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